This past Saturday, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian seemed perplexed by a question.
After the Longhorns had rallied to a 24-23 win over then-No. 1 Ohio State at Royal-Memorial Stadium, Sarkisian was asked about his decision to keep the UT offense on the field for a fourth-and-9 play in the third quarter’s final minutes. Texas was on its 42-yard line at the time, and Ohio State had built a 23-3 lead.
Wouldn’t it have been safer to punt and not risk a turnover on downs that could set up a Buckeyes blowout?
“That’s how losers think. Winners win, baby. You’ve got to go for it,” said Sarkisian, who paused for a few seconds before adding that “They didn’t hire me to keep it close. They hired me to win.”
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That exchange gave some insight into how Sarkisian’s mind works. In his opinion, losers aren’t aggressive. And as a coach, Sarkisian believes that “I’m aggressive by nature.” That self-reflective statement has been reflected by his fourth-down calls. Over Sarkisian’s 70 games at UT, Sarkisian has left his offense on the field for 127 fourth downs.
So while facing an uphill climb against the Buckeyes, Sarkisian asked the Longhorns to not be losers. And Emaree Winston stepped up.
With receivers Ryan Wingo, Cam Coleman and Emmett Mosley V on the field, Winston lined up in the slot. Texas motioned its sophomore tight end toward the sideline on a check-down route, but as Manning started to scramble and improvise, Winston worked his way back to the middle of the field. Pressure applied by the Buckeyes forced Manning to throw a 3-yard pass to the 6-foot-1, 245-pound Winston, who fought off Ohio State cornerback Jay Timmons and found 6 more yards for the first down.
“Emaree’s an elite route runner. He’s got great hands,” Sarkisian said Monday. “His ability to put his foot in the ground and get vertical and not dance, for a younger player, I thought was great situational awareness.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Winston participated in a media session Monday after his key reception.
“I feel like I knew the down-and-distance of what the play was,” he said. “I think Arch did a really good job of scrambling and making the play extend and finding the open person, and I knew where the sticks were.”
Winston did not emerge as a John Mackey Award frontrunner against the Buckeyes. He finished with three catches and 39 receiving yards. According to PFF, the one-time three-star recruit out of Georgia played just 27 snaps in the one-point win.
But for Texas, what matters was how Winston was used. Yes, he had that fourth-down reception that kept hope alive. The Longhorns, though, went back to Winston on each of its next two snaps. With UT running a no-huddle offense, Winston hauled in a 22-yard pass on UT’s next play and then dropped a quick toss from Manning.
On the play before Texas running back Hollywood Smothers scored the decisive touchdown with 25 seconds left, Winston was credited with a fumble recovery after he pounced on a loose football near the goal line. Winston lined up as a fullback on that play.
“He’s a stud, he’s built for it,” Manning said. “I’m really proud of him for stepping up, and he’s going to be a key piece for us moving forward.”
New tight ends stepping up for Texas this season
Texas has often stressed the importance of the tight end position in Sarkisian’s offense. In each of the past three NFL drafts, Texas has sent a tight end to the league (UT had two tight ends drafted between 2007-23).
This season, UT was set to lean on Winston and fellow returnees Nick Townsend and Spencer Shannon as well as Michigan State transfer Michael Masunas. Texas started both Shannon and Masunas against Texas State but went without a tight end for its first play against Ohio State. Through two games, PFF has Shannon (72) leading Winston (55) and Townsend (51) in total snaps. Winston is responsible for five of the tight ends’ eight catches.
“We have a very competitive room,” Winston said.
When No. 1 Texas hosts UTSA this weekend, the depth at the tight end position might be tested. Townsend left this past weekend’s game with what Sarkisian described as a knee injury, which led to more opportunities for Winston. On Monday, Sarkisian said Townsend was still being evaluated. He did not offer a timeline for the sophomore’s return.
This article originally published at Emaree Winston stepped up against Ohio State. Is he now Texas’ top option at tight end?.
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